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Police probe targets courthouse corruption

Sgt. Michael Rutigliano, a senior provincial police officer at the centre of a corruption scandal in the justice system, has found himself on the wrong side of the law before.

This is also true of Rutigliano's co-accused, beer entrepreneur Frank D'Angelo, now facing new charges that came to light yesterday. The former CEO of Steelback Brewery turned himself in to police Thursday evening.

D'Angelo has been charged with obstruction of justice and attempt to obstruct justice.

The 50-year-old was released and will appear in Brampton court on June 8.

It was the latest turn in the increasingly messy case involving a Crown attorney, several accused criminals and Rutigliano, the OPP sergeant who has faced Police Act charges twice in the past five years, and prior to that, was arrested for allegedly threatening a business associate.

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On Wednesday, Rutigliano was charged with numerous corruption and obstruction of justice offences in connection with three separate investigations.

The arrest of Rutigliano, a court case management officer at the OPP's Toronto detachment, has raised serious concerns within the attorney general's office about the integrity of the province's court system.

The ministry has brought in a special prosecutor and installed former judge and integrity commissioner Coulter Osborne to oversee the case.

In one set of charges, the 49-year-old Rutigliano is alleged to have interfered in the prosecution of D'Angelo for sexual assault.

Last month, a judge acquitted D'Angelo of assaulting a business associate's 22-year-old daughter.

A week before D'Angelo's trial, which Rutigliano attended, the OPP officer and Crown attorney Domenic Basile participated in a mock trial before high school students at Father Henry Carr Catholic Secondary School, according to a community newspaper.

During the simulated trial, Basile played a purse snatcher who was chased down and apprehended by Rutigliano, the paper said.

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Basile is the prosecutor named as an "unindicted co-conspirator" in court documents. Det. Insp. Phil George of the OPP said at least one other person will soon be charged.

That man is Peter Mavroudis, a con artist who has thrice been convicted of taking money in return for non-existent tickets to Maple Leaf games. Rutigliano is accused of helping Mavroudis "avoid prosecution in Ontario."

"He'll be charged," George said last night, "but because he's already in custody for another matter, we haven't rushed round to him."

George was in Brampton court yesterday for Rutigliano's bail hearing. It was to begin at 9:30 a.m., but because of delays transporting the OPP sergeant from prison, was postponed for several hours.

Such delays have become routine in southern Ontario as a labour dispute between jail guards and the government continues.

A publication ban was issued on all the evidence presented at the bail hearing.

Rutigliano will remain behind bars until the hearing resumes next Friday. The third aspect of the charges against the OPP officer relate to an alleged $15 million fraud targeting Bombardier Inc.

This is not the first time George has had dealings with Rutigliano.

In 2004, George looked into allegations Rutigliano was involved in an illegal gambling operation after he was swept up in a GTA police raid. Defence attorney Gary Clewley successfully argued at a disciplinary hearing that Rutigliano, who was found in the front bar, would have had no idea illegal dealings were happening in the back.

Clewley was also the lawyer who handled a Police Act charge stemming from Rutigliano's arrest six years ago by York Regional Police. Rutigliano – who owns a window company – was accused of uttering threats to a business associate. The case was settled in Newmarket court when Rutigliano offered to pay a peace bond, George said.

At a disciplinary hearing later on the matter, he was found guilty of discreditable conduct and agreed to forfeit 20 days pay.

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